theater and Alexander

I get tickets to see Kenneth Lonergen's The Time of Our Youth, thinking Alexander will like it.  

I am cognizant of the fact that my son detests going to theater.  When he was younger, I took him to a lot, thinking someday we'd be able to share the same passion. That never quite happened, despite my many attempts.  We saw musicals (Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Oklahoma, Hair Spray, Mama Mia, Spring Awakening, The Boy from Oz, and Jersey Boys, to name just a few).  We saw Broadway and Off-Broadway plays.  Some at big venues, others at small intimate ones.  Some great, but most just average. Occasionally Alexander would like something, but mostly he got restless quickly.  And then there came the day when Alexander declared, "I am not seeing any more plays." I didn't take him at his word, but instead compromised: one play a year.

So tonight is that one-play-a-year night.

Alexander is not thrilled about going to Times Square.  He reads too much about world politics and he, like many, doesn't like what he reads.  Times Square is probably not the safest place to be around Christmas, and certainly not the most pleasant.  Not with sidewalks so crowded that walking on the street is the only reasonable option. Not with having to duck umbrellas, as there's a light rain tonight.

Our seats are great.  The play is excellent and relatable.  It's about three insecure NYC kids living on the Upper West side in the early 80's.  I can see that Alexander is enjoying it, as he laughs his way through Act 1.  I think it's a little long but my son surprisingly disagrees.  

This doesn't mean that the next play will be an easier sell.  My son's already told me that he's done with theater now for the next twelve months.